Woman throws BRICK at Mayor London Breed at San Francisco meeting

San Francisco public safety meeting descends into chaos as woman throws BRICK at Mayor London Breed who vows to crack down on open-air drug market and city will finally allow cops to arrest people shooting up in broad daylight

• Mayor London Breed was hosting an open-air hearing at United Nations Plaza to discuss the city’s drug crisis before it had to be cut short following disruption
• Elysia Katet, 26, was charged with throwing a brick towards Breed’s podium, where it struck a high school student
• Breed’s effort to crack down on drug use comes after more than 70,000 residents fled during the pandemic due to crime and rising cost of living 

A San Francisco public safety meeting descended into chaos on Tuesday after a woman threw a brick at Mayor London Breed and other city lawmakers.

The Mayor was hosting a rare open-air hearing at United Nations Plaza to discuss the city’s drug crisis before it had to be cut short following shouting and heckling from residents. 

But when city officials were preparing to leave, a woman threw a brick towards Breed’s podium and it struck a high school student who was presenting flags for the meeting.

San Francisco police arrested the suspect, later identified as 26-year-old Elysia Katet, and she was charged with child endangerment and assault with a deadly weapon.

It comes as Mayor Breed vowed to crack down on the city’s open-air drug market and police will now be able to arrest people shooting up in broad daylight. 

More than 70,000 residents have fled San Francisco since the start of the pandemic and moved to other cities within the US, according to Census data. The city’s high cost of living combined with a declining quality of life with a drugs crisis, high crime rates and soaring homelessness, is driving many residents to consider a move.

A San Francisco public safety meeting descended into chaos on Tuesday after a woman threw a brick at Mayor London Breed

San Francisco police arrested the suspect, later identified as 26-year-old Elysia Katet, and she was charged with child endangerment and assault with a deadly weapon

The Mayor was hosting a rare open-air hearing at United Nations Plaza to discuss the city’s drug crisis before it had to be cut short following shouting and heckling from residents

On Tuesday, dozens of people gathered for the public safety meeting and some chanted ‘no more cops’ as they called on the city to tackle fentanyl supply in San Francisco instead of arresting drug users.

Katet allegedly threw the brick at Mayor Breed’s podium after her speech. It struck a Galileo High School student, who was with a Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps class, on the foot.

She was reportedly with a man in trench coat during the incident and was quickly tackled to the ground by someone before she was detained by officers. 

Shortly before the incident, Mayor Breed was booed as she stood at the podium and called for a new approach to the drug crisis with harsher consequences for those involved in the drug trade. 

‘I run into people day in and day out in the Tenderloin, and they say, “London, we would have never been allowed to get away with this stuff back in the day”.’ she said. ‘And the fact is, it’s time for a change.

‘The people who live here, the folks who work here and the people who experience these challenges every single day, they deserve better.’

She added: ‘Why should someone else’s rights be put before their needs and their safety and what they deserve, too, in a place like San Francisco that claims to be so compassionate and liberal. What about them?’ 

Drug use in San Francisco has spiraled out of control with the equivalent of one overdose death every 10 hours in a city that has seen its reputation as a coastal gem ravaged by worsening crime, drugs, and, homelessness rates.

There was a staggering 41 percent surge in the number of drug-related deaths in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same time last year, as fentanyl devastated the city’s homeless population.

Numerous brands have pulled out of the area as it continues to decline with Whole Foods temporarily shutting a flagship store that opened just last year, citing worker safety.

And Nordstrom is closing both of its stores in downtown San Francisco due to changing ‘dynamics’ in the area which has been a spotlight for crime.

Board President Aaron Peskin asked Breed whether she would support his request for better coordination among local and regional agencies to put an end to drug-dealing. 

But she said the chaotic hearing was not the right place to hold the discussion and the meting was abruptly ended. 

Officials agreed to reconvene at City Hall to complete the rest of the meeting where Mayor Breed welcomed ‘the opportunity to work with the board on shutting open-air drug dealing down’.

Mayor Breed vowed to crack down on the city’s open-air drug market and police will now be able to arrest people shooting up in broad daylight

San Francisco saw a staggering 41 percent surge in the number of drug-related deaths in the first quarter of 2023

The majority of drug overdose deaths in San Francisco involved males in the Tenderloin district, where open-air drug use is rampant among its soaring homeless population 

She urged supervisors to pass her public safety budget without any reductions and is expected to reveal her proposed citywide budget on June 1. 

San Francisco’s Department of Emergency Management confirmed a pilot program was being developed that would ‘address situations when someone is so far under the influence of drugs that they may pose a danger to themselves or others.’ 

Supervisors said it would allow police to arrest people using drugs in public but it has been met with criticism by some board members who denounced it as ‘reactionary, cruel and counterproductive’.

San Francisco Police Department will be able to enforce two city codes to arrest people under the influence and take them to the county jail, according to Melissa Hernandez, a legislative aide for Supervisor Dean Preston. 

She said those arrested will then be released hours later.  

Mayor Breed alluded to the pilot program during Tuesday’s board meeting and said she was ‘proposing changes to our state law, and we will be enacting local programs to try to end this disruptive behavior.

‘What do we do about those who are struggling with addiction on our streets and they refuse services?’ she added. 

‘Because as much as shutting down drug markets, it’s also about making it clear that problematic behavior will not be tolerated on our streets.’ 

Mayor Breed was booed as she stood at the podium and called for a new approach to the drug crisis with harsher consequences for those involved in the drug trade

Dozens of people gathered for the public safety meeting and some chanted ‘no more cops’ as they called on the city to tackle fentanyl supply in San Francisco instead of arresting users

San Francisco Police Department will be able to enforce two city codes to arrest people under the influence and take them to the county jail

Peskin released a statement on Tuesday evening and said the city has the ‘resources right now to close down the open-air drug supermarkets’. 

He also pointed to the violent woman who threw a brick at the open hearing as a demonstration of the city’s disorganization. 

‘If we can’t guarantee everyone’s safety when the mayor and her security team are present—we have lost control of our public realm,’ Peskin said. 

‘And that is our shared mission: to regain control of all of our public spaces, so that they are safe and clean for everyone always. 

‘We simply can’t defend this status quo and we must continue to demand change.’ 

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